InuYasha, the famous long-running shonen action/comedy/romance series by Rumiko Takahaski, is being reprinted in the the VIZBIG wide-ban format with the first three volumes in the original reading format (right-to-left).

InuYasha is a half-demon who was sealed in the Sengoku (warring states) era of Japan. Kagome Higurashi, a seemingly ordinary high-school student from modern Japan, lives at a historical Shinto shrine. One day, she falls into the family's dried well and is transported back in time, where she meets the sealed InuYasha. After being mistaken for a spy because of her “exotic” clothing, she is chased by a demon who is after the powerful Shikon Jewel inside of her. Desperate to save herself and the villagers, she releases InuYasha from his imprisonment. Later, after another demon tries to steal the Shikon Jewel (which had previously been removed from her body) she kills the demon but shatters the jewel into tiny fragments which spread out all across Japan. Now humans and demons ― both past and present ― hunt for these shards. InuYasha, wanting the jewel in order to become a full demon, must team up with Kagome, the reincarnation of the one who sealed him away.

Highlights:

This volume chronicles the first three volumes of InuYasha. In it, Takahashi establishes the world of the manga. Unlike her previous long-running series, Ranma ½, it is immediately apparent InuYasha is darker and grittier. Death and destruction (the non-comical type), are commonplace. Demons are a fact of life in the Sengoku era, still exist in modern Japan, and often have no mercy. However, Takahashi still includes a lot of comical moments. The interplay between InuYasha and Kagome is reminiscent of Ranma and Akane. Other characters like the idiot Takeda Nobunaga, who Kagome excitingly mistakes for Oda Nobunaga, add a level of humor to offset the dark atmosphere.

Overview:

The BIGVIZ re-release of InuYasha is a great addition. While it doesn't add much new in the way of content, it adds a level of quality. The images are enlarged and thus sometimes easier to read, especially the side-comments mangika sometimes add that characters might mumble under their breath. In addition, the images (especially the darker ones ― InuYasha does have darker panels than Takahashi's previous works and more dark panels) make it easier to pick out some of the details the smaller print octovo-sized volumes. In addition, the re-release flips the contents back to the original Japanese format so the reader reads from right-to-left which has become standard for manga after Tokyopop's success as a marketing gimmick in 2002.

For those who have read and own InuYasha volumes 1-3, there isn't too much new. If you have the original prints, then it'll be flipped. The pages will be larger and on better quality paper and binding. The covers for the first issues are kept in full color in the back as they were originally drawn by Takahashi, however the only new item is the Shonen Sunday color images in the back. The 3 new images only provide a minimal value for those who are probably happy with their current volumes.

Since there are 3 volumes in this edition it really gives the story a chance to evolve quickly. You get to see several fights and are introduced to the secondary characters Jaken and Shippo.  However, the ending of the volume isn't quite as intense. For the original volume 1, Kagome's family is attacked by Yura of the Hair when InuYasha follows her through the well. The ending for the BIGVIZ volume 1 introduces another secondary character in a seemingly dangerous situation, but in a more comical manner. Yura of the Hair was out to kill InuYasha and Kagome and anyone else who stood in her way as she searched for the Shikon Jewel shards. There was no comic relief to offset the tension; in contrast, the enemies after Shippo, while just as ruthless, don't seem quite as cunning or competent as Yura and the antics of Shippo also lessen the tension leaving the feeling of suspense fairly low.

InuYasha BIGVIZ volume 1 is a great buy for anyone who hasn't yet picked up this series for themselves for whatever reason. For those who already own the series, especially the second printing of the volumes which didn't flip the images, there is definitely less of a reason to get it, but the larger print and higher quality paper still could make it an attractive purchase. In the end you could buy the volume and sell your old books to a used book store or donate them to your library or anime/manga club (and possibly get tax write offs in some cases).

ComicsOnline gives Inuyasha BIGVIZ Volume 1 5 out of 5 Shikon Jewel shards.